Philadelphia Eagles fan who crashed into pole scores tickets to London game: report

In this October 2018 photo, Philadelphia Eagles fan Jigar Desai poses with tickets to an Oct. 28 football game between the Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars in front of the subway pillar he ran into earlier this year at Ellsworth Station on the Broad Street subway line in Philadelphia.
(Matt Liston via AP)

A Philadelphia Eagles fan who snagged attention earlier this year due to a viral video was reportedly gifted four tickets to the team’s upcoming game in London.

It all began last January when Jigar Desai, 43, ran along a subway platform in an attempt to pump up the train’s riders for the NFC Championship game, The Associated Press reported Friday.

But things came to a screeching halt when Desai, who was being recorded, reportedly crashed into a pole. Video of the moment later spread across social media.

"At the end of it all, if you are going to have a knucklehead moment caught on camera from two angles, then it better have results," Desai said told The Associated Press. The Eagles went on defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Fast-forward to the spring, when the NFL got in contact with Desai about filming in a digital short feature with them, he said.

The video crew made a trip to his home in the Philadelphia suburbs last weekend to work on the film, he said. The filmmakers said they told him they wanted to see the pillar and they took the subway to the scene of the injury, the Ellsworth-Federal stop on the Broad Street subway line, according to The Associated Press.

Desai was given tickets for himself and his family to attend the game in London.
(Matt Liston via AP)

But when they got there, a party awaited Desai, attended by Eagles cheerleaders, Swoop the mascot and a Mummers string band, he said. Swoop gave him and his family the tickets to see the Eagles when they square off against the Jacksonville Jaguars across the pond in England on Oct. 28, according to the outlet.

The NFL digital short feature, which reportedly captures the surprise, “focused on him and his love of the Eagles,” Brenna Webb, spokeswoman for NFL Media, told The Associated Press. The eight-minute video will roll out on NFL digital and social media platforms next week, she added.

The NFL Media spokeswoman did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

Desai described the moment to The Associated Press as “a total surprise” and said “it was so great to be there with my kids.”

“From 'mind the pillars' to 'Mind the Gap' ...London, here we come!” Desai told the outlet.